The Soaring Hawk
by Karasu Kyra
Summary: He is the reason for your existence. He is the reason you will be standing in Konoha again with him beside you.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is the prologue to The Soaring Hawk. It is IzuKo. I really hope you enjoy it.

The Soaring Hawk

_Prologue_

Behind that smiling carefree face is a killer. No one seems to notice as you walk easily down the street, joking amiably with your friends. They don't notice the silent step and battle toned posture of your body. You are nothing but a tool. A tool to be used to kill; one that does not dull nor break.

Your a destroyer.

A destroyer of lives.

A creator.

A creator of corpses.

You kill so others may live.

Your blades are your best friend.

You don your Hunter uniform, at night.

And by day your a laughing chuunin.

You manage the gates of Konoha.

What they don't tell people is that the two of you sitting there are Hunter level. You could stop anyone you felt didn't need to enter.

The ANBU worship you.

The children idolize you.

And the rest fear you.

And him...

He gives you respect, love, admiration. A warm body next to you. A way to feel alive. He who sparks something deep inside you to keep you going. It is so deep, you wonder if he isn't just a part of you.

He is the reason for your existence.

For him you feel love, adoration, respect, borderline obsession.

That is why...

You will fight to the death to have him standing in Konoha beside you again.

0o0o0

The Soaring Hawk

"Kotetsu Hagane is missing."

Tsunade's clipped words rang through the ears of Izumo Kamizuki.He'd adorned his Hunter uniform, thinking he was going to be depriefed.

A Hunter is the highest level attainable to a shinobi. They were the strongest in all aspects. They assured that missing ninja's were dealt with accordingly, along with attacks on the village such as the fight with Sound and Sand a month back. They either gave up thier previous lives to devote thier entire being to Hunter status, or lead double lives.

Izumo Kamizuki was the top Hunter of the five. He was Taka, the Hawk. He was the hero everyone looked up to. They looked up to him, and in desperate times he was looked towards to lead them. He was in charge of assuring the Hokage's safety. He killed so others could live. And right now his world was crashing down on him.

Outwardly he kept his cool, fighting down the rage of emotions that threatened to break his firm control on his powers. He stared coolly out of the slits in the porcelain mask displaying his Hunter status and keeping his true identity known. His voice was cold as he parted his lips for words. "Explain."

A pained look flashed across Tsunade's amber eyes as she reached into a drawer on her desk, released a blood seal, and pulled out a single sheet of paper. She gently placed that normal looking paper on her desk before the Hunter before her. A sudden fear crawled up the blonde's spine. This man in front of her could easily match her in a fight, _and_ best her. With the information she was telling him, it may set him off.

Izumo picked up the paper, carefully watching as Tsunade's body posture grew rigid, tensed as if for a fight. His eyes dropped, scanning the words written in neat calligraphy across the white sheet.

Hunter Taka, we have taken Kotetsu Hagane into our custody. He will be entered as a criminal to our Terror and Interrogation Unit. As I'm sure you know, Otogakure's methods are less humane than that of Konohagakure's who are known to have the most ruthless Terror and Interrogation Unit of all the Five Great Shinobi Nations. In return for this captive we will trade you_ for him. I'm sure the chakra signature in this letter will be enough to find me. Come alone or he will be killed. _

Kabuto Yakushi

Izumo's hand had curled around the paper, all but shredding it. He folded the paper, slipping it into the pouch at his waist. He forced himself into apathy trying to rationalize the situation. Izumo voiced a question lightly his tone devoid of emotion. "How do they know?"

"I don't know." Tsunade's voice was tight, edgy.

"I will be," Izumo's voice faltered for less than a second, "retrieving the captured shinobi."

Tsunade's eyes grew grim. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

The blonde woman motioned to the two Hunter's that were with the Hokage at all times. The two sprung silently from each side of the Hokage, lunging towards thier comrade. Each grabbed an arm, one pulling a katana to his throat. There was a poofing noise as his would be body disipated into smoke. Moving faster than the two nin in the room, he appeared behind them. He already had pulled his most familiar weapons out, two kodachi he named Kurohyou and Shirotora. He turned a hilt on the base of each of their vulnerable skulls.

He twisted his body to face Tsunade. She rose herself to full height, sighing. "I also figured you'd do that.You leave me with no choice," Tsunade's finely boned arm flicked out suddenly, "Scatter, shinobi!"

The amber eyed woman's voice rang loud in Izumo's ears as he formally dismissed her. He nodded briskly, turning his back to the Hokage which showed his respect and gratitude towards her. It wasn't everyday you turned your back to someone who could kill you.

Izumo made several hand seals, left in a bout of smoke and appeared in another at ANBU headquarters. He strode into the supplies room. He swiftly grabbed a field med-kit and an advanced med-kit. He grabbed a survival pack. It contained several MRE's, an odor dampening salve, twelve shuriken, fifteen kunai, a blanket, a change of clothes, matches, flint, and several different seals, all in waterproof bags.

He went back to his apartment, grabbed a few special weapons. He filled out the mission papers, and left.

His back quickly retreated from Konoha, hoping to return to it with his lover by his side.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

The Soaring Hawk

By: Karasu Kyra

Chapter Two

Izumo was swiftly jumping from branch to branch at a speed even the ANBU would have trouble keeping up with. He was going over the terrain in his mind, cataloging it and storing it away. He then decided when and where to stop on his journey and for how long. Suddenly he became aware of the familiar necklace-- which gently bumped against his chest with each leap-- his boyfriend got him. Izumo's heart fluttered as his mind drifted back to memories of said boyfriend, Kotetsu. He thought back to the most recent encounter between them.

_Kotetsu grinned as he slipped his hand to Izumo's butt for the third time that day. Izumo swatted his hand away ignoring the looks from Iruka._

_"Kotetsu stop it." Izumo drawled, irritated._

_"Why don't you make me?" Kotetsu replied rather childishly._

_"Fine. If you don't stop, you're sleeping on the couch tonight." Izumo replied harshly._

_"Damn Izumo, I was just kidding. You're vicious. I'll stop." Kotetsu's rose his hands in a sign of defeat before returning to organizing the newest mission reports._

_0o0o0_

Another memory flashed before Izumo's dark eyes, this one a year and a half older.

_Izumo smiled as his bouncy boyfriend, whom had gotten them both into suits and was walking down the main path to only Hokage knows where. He listened idly as Kotetsu talked about his day, what he could reveal of it anyways. Izumo also knew to listen carefully for codewords that the two used when in public. They had two sets, thier field ones and their unique, private ones. He'd heard none so far, and hoped to keep it that way._

_He walked into a fine restaurant with the spiky-haired Hunter, who'd already reserved a table. Izumo smiled to himself and let work slip from his mind, forcing it away. He completely opened himself to Kotetsu and whatever he may have had in store. They were led to the table by a waiter, who quickly got them water to start with. _

_The more serious of the two watched Kotetsu fidget slightly in his seat, before the latter grinned.Izumo raised a brow in silent curiousity. Kotetsu just shook his head, before standing and going towards Izumo. Izumo watched shocked as the spiky-haired man got down before him and took Izumo's hand in his._

_"Izumo," he said, "I love you with all my heart, and we've been through a _lot_ together, and well...Will you marry me?"_

_Izumo's eyes widened in complete shock before he smiled softly, taking Kotetsu's face between his hands and kissing him._

_Kotetsu grinned. "I hope this means yes..."_

_"Of course." Izumo whispered, claiming his now fiancee's lips with his own, smiling as Kotetsu slipped a ring on his finger._

His leather gloved hand reached up to gently hold the ring he had been given that was suspended on a gold chain around his neck. He released it just as quickly as he grabbed it, shifting the weight of the survival pack strapped to his back. He leapt down from the trees, landing gracefully upon the soil and calmly walking into the village of Kensei, still three days from the border of Fire and Waterfall.

He'd decided to go around and enter Sound from it's Eastern border, for they'd be expecting him from the Southern border. He hoped to be met by little resistance this way. What this little detour cost him though, was precious time, so it was a trade-off. Resistance for time.

Every person he passed stared in awe, civilian and Shinobi alike. He was an uncommon face anywhere, always fading into the background, even in his home village. He was in all the black books but without any formidable identification he was elusive. He tucked his hands in his pockets, loosening his posture, trying to look as harmless as possible through the porcelain mask of someone upholding the rank of at least ANBU.

He counted about two hundred civilian presences and about thirty Shinobi. He glanced through the crowd spotting each and every Shinobi. Most of them had chakra so dull that he guessed that they hadn't used chakra in years. There were a couple that were forcibly repressed. All in all, he just wished he didn't have to face them for lack of time.

He politely asked a stranger the way to the Inn and was quickly pointed in the correct direction. It was getting to be dark and he was tired and hungry. He shifted the weight of the bags at his waist, twisting his body towards an alley he figured a shortcut. His guess was correct as when he came out he was faced with the Inn they had pointed him to, Shinta Inn. He made his way in, immediately being greeted with workers asking him if he'd like a room.

He settled himself in before losing his packs by the edge of the bed. The room itself was bland, only occupied by a bed, a nightstand and lamp, and himself. His stomach then decided that if he was going to take the time to stop that he had better get it something better than field rations to eat. He dragged out a few ryo and went into town to decide on what fast food he was eating tonight, for certainly he was not cooking.

He walked back down the alley he had taken before, carefully stepping over a rat scurrying from a trashbin to its' hiding place. He entered on the main road he had come in on, all the people staring once again. He ignored them and continued on his way for his stomach was beyond the point of caring. He'd been pushing himself hard, to keep a fast speed and hadn't eaten nearly enough since the two days he had left.

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of a scuffle, and metal hitting metal. He pushed chakra to his feet and darted around and through the crowd, arriving at the scene to stop an older man from harming a young, barely teenage girl. He pushed even more chakra to his feet, seemingly appearing between the man's blade and the girls'. He grabbed the man's blade and viciously twisted, forcing the man's grip away. The girls' he just held firmly in place, reckoning her as the lesser threat.

He glared at the man and then down at the girl. "What's going on?"

"I _own_ that wench! What right have you for stepping in here?" The man yelled, infuriated.

"You own no one." Izumo glared harder, hoping the man felt it through the mask.

He glanced at the girl who was staring dazedly at the dirt, her grip still fast on her blade. He then turned his attention back to the man who was still yelling at him. "You'll regret this you scum! You think because you alone are so powerful that you can just get whatever you want? I'll teach you!"

Izumo cocked his head, chuckling dryly. "Oh? Will you now?"

The Hunter bit back the retort of "You and what army?" as an entire company of rogue Shinobi from Leaf turned thier attention on him. He carefully picked the girl up and carried her off to the side, well away from danger. He was torn between sighing and wincing as he put the girl down, his stomach still not liking the situation of not having food. He should have been used to being hungry, he mused, watching the enemy carefully, for he was trained to last past the point of starvation for your average Shinobi. But, his mind went on a tangent, that doesn't make it any more comfortable.

The four Shinobi closest to him glanced furtively at each other before all four rushed him, throwing shuriken. He pulled out a kunai and deflected most, jumping backwards to avoid the others, twisting midair as a kick was aimed at his side. The second his feet touched the ground he grabbed the arm of the nearest person and twisted his upperbody, slamming the man he held into the one behind him.

With two knocked on the ground, he flipped the kunai he held and threw it at another who deflected it easily. That distraction let Izumo get in close, quickly knocking out another of the four with the blunt end of the kunai. That was when four took the place of the fallen three. One spit a fire jutsu at him, while another complimented it with an earth jutsu. He opposed both of them with an ice jutsu and an elegant backward flip, landing meters from the damaged Earth.

He dissappeared in a shaft of light, the others staring at a shadow clone thinking it was him. He'd guessed the relative proximity of the villagers and set a small explosive tag off that was hidden in the pouch of the water clone, As it explode the clone, the shockwave sent one unconscious while it drenched three others. He quickly sent an ice jutsu off again, freezing them into place, if only for a few moments. That was all he needed though, a few moments, for he had already knocked those few unconscious, turning to the last two Shinobi.

One of them was a medical-ninja and both were the two he felt cloaking their chakra. He bit out a curse as a senbon tore through his upperarm, angry at himself for not paying more attention. Luckily this med-nin didn't bother to pre-dose the throwing needles in a poison or something similar. He ignored the burning pain and began his attack on the two. He took them head-on, clashing kunai to kunai with the non-med-nin, and sending the medical shinobi a little gift in the way of a small explosive tag.

It went off, sending all three shinobi in different directions. Taka, the only one expecting it, landed softly on the pillar of a nearby merchant's shop. He deftly lept from the pillar to the med-nin, disabling him, then turning his attention to the last remaining Shinobi. He pulled out several shuriken, throwing them towards the opponent, running behind them, and lashing at his opponent with his recently unsheathed kodachi.

Slash. Slash. Feignt. Dodge. Step. Step. Slash.

He kept up his dance, easily gaining on the man before him whom only defended himself with a kunai. Izumo took a chance and knocked the man's arm with his left hand and turned his hilt upon the man's skull, sending him sprawling to the ground. His first priority was to check for injured civilians. Seeing none, only a few dazed faces, and the angered face of the man he'd first talked to. He then turned his attention to the senbon in his arm, and pulled it out, hoping to get to his room before it bled too much.

He walked back to the man sputtering in anger. "You were saying?"

"Who the hell are you?! Take the whore! She's of no use to me!" The man crawled to his feet.

Izumo shook his head mentally walking to the girl on the ground, who'd long ago dropped her knife. "Hello, I'm Taka. It's very nice to meet you..."

"Uhh, K-Kyla, sir. Thank you for...saving me." The girl turned shy green eyes on her savior.

"No problem." Izumo said, a warmth to his voice. "Where do you live?"

"Well, I sort of lived with Mr. Tsubaki before he got angry at me for trying to leave him."

"Well, let's go back to my room and you can tell me there."

Izumo led the distraught girl to the hotel, going around instead of through the filthy alley. Kyla sat on his bed staring at her hands, her brown hair cascading down her shoulders. Izumo sat in a chair he'd brought up from the lobby after he'd moved his packs. "So, you haven't a place to go?"

"N-no. I...lived with Mr.Tsubaki. He-I was sold to him to pay of my father's debts after he died and he was my last living relative..." Kyla glanced up then back towards her hands, that were wringing around each other.

"Well...stay here for the night and I'll figure it out in the morning." Izumo said, lying himself out at the end of the bed.

"W-where am I sleeping?"

"The bed of course." Izumo said.

"O-of course. Thank you."

Izumo nodded. He listened as the girl layed down, moving every now and then until she was comfortable. He counted the cracks in the ceiling as he waited for her breathing to even out before he himself fell into a light sleep.

It was some time later, still hours before dawn, that green eyes snapped open, and a slender hand pulled a knife from an ankle. Kyla turned towards the sleeping Shinobi, a dagger glinting in the dim light from outside the room. "Orochimaru will be very pleased with me, I'd say."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I really need to rewrite the first couple chapters. Sorry for the delay—writer's block.

The Soaring Hawk

By: karasu kyra

Izumo jerked awake as he felt someone drawing nearer to him. He pulled himself into a sitting position only to feel an excruciating pain explode from his stomach. He pulled himself off the bed and across the room to see Kyla—she was ready to sprint.

The Hunter looked down to see the hilt of a knife sticking out of his abdomen. He ignored the blade—it would be best to pull it out when he had his bearings back. Removing it too soon would arise complications he didn't have want nor time to deal with.

He made a quick decision and chased after the dark-haired girl. He caught her wrist and threw her to the ground without harshness. Holding her in place with his own weight he drew a blood seal on the floor above her head, binding her movements.

He rose from atop her fluidly. He stood above her glaring harshly. He bit out the question, "Who are you?"

"I-I-I'm Kyla, sir."

"Cease that! You were the only one capable of doing this to me. I will repeat myself only once more—who are you?"

"I am Fae Lynn of Sound. My mother needed money and sold me to Orochimaru. Please--Please don't hurt me! I'll tell you what I know--I just can't live--that--again," was the girl's broken reply—and she was just that, a girl.

He sat down against the wall beside her. He breathed in deeply and then took hold of the hilt. "Start talking."

"By the time I was ten, my father had gambled away all of our money. My mother had heard rumors of a man--of a man..._buying_ children."

As she spoke, Taka was slowly removing the blade from himself. He grimaced. There was something about this particular dagger that was not right—it was doing something to his chakra.

"After a while, she found a way to contact this man: Orochimaru. He was more than willing to have me. He said I would be _perfect_. And thus, he taught me how to lie."

The dark-haired man finally removed the blade from himself. He pulled it close to his face. There were seals embedded into the weapon.

"Three days ago, a man was brought to the compound—a captive. I didn't get a good look at him, but he must have been powerful. Orochimaru-sama himself held him bound! That night, Master came to me, and told me I was going to be a hero, that I was going to kill an evil man--I was going to kill _you_. He told me, also, that he got information from that man."

Izumo put a bare hand on the blade and closed his eyes, bringing the chakra burned symbols to his mind. He gasped, mentally. To weave something this intricate-! He had yet to decipher what it _did_.

"It was luck that you found me when you did. I feared that I'd have to search you out. Luckily, I did not...I just want to go home! I just want mama!" The girl broke down in sobs.

The Hunter left her to her own thoughts as he slowly pulled apart the seals. They were basically, just that—high-level seals for chakra. He could feel the binds on his power tightening, even as he unweaved the chakra in the blade. There were seals inlaid upon seals. Most were insignificant but he had no way of telling the difference between important ones and not-so-important ones.

The girl had fallen asleep by the time he'd pulled all the seals apart. Residue of the chakra still lingered in him, still binding his chakra. He had access to a Genin-level's chakra and it seriously irritated him. He was also nothing of a medic-nin—that was Kotetsu's job. _Dammit, Hound! How could you go and get yourself captured!_

He rose from his sitting position and walked into his hotel room. He sifted through his bag until he found street clothes. He pulled off his Hunter's armour, followed by the shin and forearm guards under that, and finally the basic uniform.

He should have just taken it off when he layed down, he thought to himself. It would have made things easier. But, another part of his brain said, the injury would have been much worse. _And I can already tell that there's internal bleeding. God fucking dammit!_

He pulled the shirt over his head carefully. It hurt to lift his left arm. It felt like his muscles were tearing--hell, they probably were. The stab was somewhere around his ribcage on the left side of his body. He had yet to tell if it hit the bone or slid neatly between two of his ribs.

He then pulled on the pants, careful not to move his arm too much. As he was doing this, he calmed himself and could feel the natural painkiller his body released taking affect. After putting on his shoes, he walked out into the hallway.

The girl was still lying on the floor bound. He didn't hesitate as he leaned down and knocked her out. He then released the seal and took her into the room. He left her a good amount of money and then disappeared.

He hissed as his wound reopened. He was pushing himself, trying to make it to the next village, at least. He could not trust that girl, despite her admittance, so he would not stop for any period of time in Kensei. He pressed his hand against his wound.

He was walking, since he was in civilian clothes. That and he worried that pushing his muscles any more would cause too much damage. It was an easy disguise—he was used to it.

The wind was picking up and, as he sniffed the air, it was going to storm. He hoped he made it to the village before then. He didn't want to get caught in the rain—not with the state he was currently in. He had estimated to arrive at the next village, the village of Arashi, by nightfall, but he wasn't sure when the storm would hit.

He had two choices: start at a relative chakra-infused pace now, or sprint when the rain began to fall. He decided to take his chances and go with the latter.

He sighed and ignored the pain that throbbed with each beat of his heart.

He didn't make it to the village before the rain. In fact, he made it a half-hour after it started raining. He went from the village gates, straight to the doctor. It was a woman, which was surprising for these smaller villages. She was asleep in her home, but quickly and kindly ushered him in.

Her home was plain and a fireplace kept it warm, plants sat on the sill and a small kitchenette occupied what he could see. He could tell there was another in the house, awake but idle. Perhaps these late night visits by strangers were normal?

He was told to remove his shirt and lay down on the couch. The woman disappeared and then reappeared with a brown canvas bag in her hands. The woman set the bag down and kneeled next to Izumo. He watched as she pulled a pair of disposable gloves on.

"I apologize, but we'll have to whisper," she said quietly. "My wife is trying to sleep in the other room."

The Hunter inwardly flinched in surprise. He let shock filter across his face, tilting his head questioningly.

The woman smiled as if she got this reaction daily. "It is as you see it. I am a lesbian. If that bothers you, at least let me treat you before you leave."

"No, it doesn't bother me—I'm gay."

"Well then, we should get along just fine. What happened?"

Taka turned his head down in psuedo-shame. "My boyfriend...he-he gets violent when he's d-drinking. I-I must have said something that set him off."

"Hmm." The woman pulled out a cloth and antiseptic. "This will hurt."

She poured antiseptic onto the cloth and then used one hand to spread open the wound. Izumo cried out as she then began to clean it thoroughly. As she did this, the woman sent a glance backward and let out a sigh. "Stop making noise, Hunter."

This time, no amount of training could have kept Izumo from flinching.


End file.
